Pediatric nurses are responsible for providing medical care to infants, children and adolescents up to 16 years of age. They apply their specialised knowledge to meet the particular needs of children. For example, they may work with patients with an illness or injury of variable duration or children with disabilities. Pediatric nurses also work closely with children’s families and caregivers.
Responsibilities
- Pediatric nurses establish a care plan and implement nursing care for their patients.
- The role of pediatric nurses is different from that of adult nurses in several ways. For example, because children are still growing, nurses need to consider the impact of their illness or injury on their development.
- Also, a child may be less able to explain their symptoms, so pediatric nurses have to gather more information from non-verbal cues.
- Pediatric nurses’ work can vary, from the intensive care of a newborn baby to the care of a 16-year-old with a broken leg.
- Pediatric nurses must not only treat the child’s physical condition and reduce the anxiety and confusion they may feel when they are ill or adjusting to an unusual environment.
- Pediatric nurses work in many settings, including pediatric wards of general hospitals, speciality hospitals, daycare centres and pediatric health clinics. Some pediatric nurses also visit children in their own homes to treat them.
- Regardless of where they work, pediatric nurses are part of a multidisciplinary team, including other nurses, health assistants, physicians, physical therapists, and many others. Nurses may also be in contact with social workers and educational psychologists.
- Pediatric nurses assess the needs of the child and family and, along with medical staff, develop a care plan that determines the child’s needs and treatment schedule.
- After working with the healthcare team to create a care plan, nurses use their observational and clinical skills and develop a close, trusting relationship with the child that allows them to assess the care plan’s effectiveness.
The practical nursing application:
- Child temperature check.
- Assistance to the doctor in examining patients.
- Administration of medications and injections.
- Wound care and change of bandages.
Routine care tasks, such as making the bed and helping the patient eat, wash and dress, are often the responsibility of health assistants rather than nurses.
Many areas of nursing rely on complex equipment. For example, a pediatric nurse might check life support equipment in an intensive care unit.
Pediatric nurses must involve the child’s family in the care and keep them informed about their child’s progress. They also work closely with the child’s caregivers, that is, in training the parents or caregivers to learn how to apply the treatment themselves so they can continue the treatment when the child returns home.
Professional profile pediatric nurse:
Capacity for observation and ability to anticipate the needs of children since they are not always able to express what they want or when they feel pain.
Communication skills to reassure, encourage and explain things clearly.Â
Interest in how children develop and in diseases that can affect infants and children.
Keep up to date with new procedures and treatments.
Teamwork skills to prepare and coordinate nursing care plans together with the rest of the medical staff.
Find out what to study to be a Pediatric Nurse.
- Competencies
- Affectionate.
- Gentle.
- Aptitude to make decisions.
- Listening skills.
- Ability to deal with distressing situations.
- Capacity for teamwork.
- Able to calm and reassure children.
- Able to keep up with procedures and treatments.
- Able to respect people of all backgrounds.
- Able to follow established procedures.
- Able to work under pressure.
- Able to use a variety of medical equipment.
- Refer patients to other medical specialists.
- He runs a practice.
- Prepare medical assistance plans.
- Physically fit.
- Teaches nursing students.
- Teach family members and caregivers to follow care or treatment at home.
- Skill for numbers.
- Communicative skills.
- Practical skills.
- Inject vaccines.
- Keep records accurately.
- Monitor and supervise medical equipment.
- Observer.
- Patient.
- Perform minor surgery.
- Do research.
- Prescription medications.
- Sensitive.
- Tolerant.
- Take the blood pressure of patients.
- Take the temperature of patients.
- Dress wounds and change bandages.
- Studies
- Some studies that allow this profession to be practised are listed below. Keep in mind that, depending on the field of specialisation, you may have to complement the training with other more specific courses in the sector. Continuous training is a crucial aspect of professional improvement.
- Degree in Nursing
- Official Master’s Degree in Palliative Care